ABSTRACT
Tradition and cautious development from past ‘good practice’ are the hallmarks of British adult education provision, but they are not necessarily reliable guides to policy-makers and programme planners, especially at a time of rapid social and economic change. Many of the professionals who helped in work in Leigh Park began – as did – with the unspoken assumption that somehow ‘effective penetration’ by adult educators of a large housing estate would be achieved largely by evoking a response from local residents to what was already on offer. Survey in Leigh Park emphasised that at many classes appear to meet in isolation. Skills and knowledge generated in such classes may be good for individual students’ personal development, but there are occasions when collective expertise could be used as a neighbourhood or centre resource. Classes studying communication skills, for instance, could provide very useful aid to a neighbourhood group wanting to convey information publicly.
